Hiawatha owner Roger Jamgochian dies

Restauranteur brought East Coast hustle, straight talk to Wausau

6:51 PM,
Nov. 15, 2013

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Roger Jamgochian, the Brooklyn-accented, straight-talking owner of the Hiawatha Restaurant & Lounge on Wausau's east side, died Friday from cancer. He was 65 years old.

Jamgochian, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was an insurance salesman in Wausau when he bought the Hiawatha on a whim in 1978, said Anna Anderson, manager of the Hiawatha and a long-time friend of Jamgochian's. "He just wanted to get out of the insurance business," Anderson said.

He brought a love of food, drink and people to the business, but also instilled an exacting attitude of excellence about everything from meals to ...